Importance of lifestyle change for patients with sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is increasing in parallel with the worldwide rise in obesity. Recent studies suggest that moderate to severe OSA (defined as an apnoea–hypopnoea index, AHI, >15 events/h of sleep) affects more than 25% of the adult population.1, 2 The population‐based Wisconsin Sleep Cohort study found that ecological weight gain of 10% increases the risk of developing OSA and results in about a 30% increase in the severity of OSA when it is present.3 The body mass index (BMI) of OSA patients presenting to sleep clinics is typically between 30 and 40 kg/m2.